Of all the exclusive Record Store Day 2009 releases, the 7” featuring the Flaming Lips and Stardeath and White Dwarfs covering Madonna and The Black Keys tackling a Captain Beefheart track maybe the most fascinating of the bunch as each band adapts the cover songs to their own brand of rock and roll.

The split offers the two selections from Covered: A Revolution In Sound, which celebrates Warner Bros. Records’ 50th Anniversary of Great Music and Talent. On side A we have The Flaming Lips deconstructing Madonna’s excellent pop track from her debut album, and side B has The Black Keys dirtying up Captain Beefheart’s bluesy number “Her Eyes Are a Blue Million Miles.”

The Flaming Lips covering Madonna really isn’t as crazy as it sounds. The Lips are known for eclectic cover choices, take their cover of Kylie Minogue’s “Can’t Get You Out of My Head” from the Fight Test EP for example, and Wayne Coyne is a known Madonna fan, so a cover of “Borderline” from ‘80s-era Madonna isn’t that hard to swallow. With help from their fellow Oklahomans and experimental rockers Stardeath and White Dwarfs, this version seems to use a few classic synth and drum samples that could have easily been in the original. The track begins slowly with Coyne doing his best high-pitched yelp over drawn out piano chords alongside beeps and buzzes. After a lengthy build up with heavy drums and single chord strikes, the original version’s melody line is unleashed with a fury using distorted guitar, thumping bass, and pounding drums. The song winds down again and ends amid more white noise in typical Flaming Lips pop-meets-psychedelic fashion.

While Captain Beefheart’s original version of “Her Eyes Are A Blue Million Miles” was a funky little number with a mean acoustic guitar groove, The Black Keys strip it down and roll it around in the mud. Patrick Carney’s huge drums are high in the mix creating the backbone and keeping some of the original’s funk. But it’s Dan Auerbach’s trademark sneering vocals and thick, wah-wah laden guitar licks that make this one of The Black Key’s most natural and best efforts to date.

This short split is only a sample of the tracks on Covered: A Revolution In Sound. But if it’s any indication of how the rest of the album might sound, then better get back down to the record store for some economic stimulation.

The Flaming Lips & The Black Keys
“Borderline”/“Her Eyes Are A Blue Million Miles”
NONESUCH
Release Date: April 18, 2009

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Catch The Flaming Lips this summer at Pitchfork Music Festival 2009 on July 17, 18, & 19 at Chicago’s Union Park! For tickets, click here.
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The Flaming Lips & Stardeath And White Dwarfs – “Borderline” (Madonna Cover)